More in Encore: The New Retirement

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A growing number of travel groups are offering adults an opportunity to relive an experience that many regard as one of the best parts of childhood. Camps for adults have grown an estimated 10% a year over the past decade, to about 800 in all, says Internet Brands, owner of Grownupcamps.com. A tally by the American Camp Association says a million adults went to camp last summer.

"It appeals to the inner child in all of us," says Nancy Diamond, a marketing consultant to camps.

What defines an adult camp can be somewhat different from marshmallow roasts and singalongs. Most let campers explore a hobby or live out a childhood fantasy. Accommodations range from rustic to luxurious.

Here are some of the best opportunities for adults. Prices are per person and don't include accommodations unless noted.

FOOD AND WINE

A little over a year ago, Greg Frings received, in his words, a "unique" Christmas present: a trip to wine camp in the Napa Valley.

ENLARGE

WINE CAMP About five bottles of wine per camper are consumed in a three-day session (why spitting the wine, not swallowing, is recommended).
Schramsberg Vineyards

In early September, the Hubertus, Wis., resident traveled to Schramsberg Vineyards in Calistoga, Calif., to learn how the 150-year-old estate makes sparkling wines in the tradition of France's Champagne region. The morning after a "welcome" dinner in the vineyard, the campers—who stayed in local hotels, including the Meadowood Napa Valley resort in St. Helena—rose early to harvest grapes. They used a grape press, tasted juice in various stages of fermenting and attended a "riddling" lesson, learning how to turn wine bottles to facilitate yeast removal.

Mr. Frings, age 52, says he especially enjoyed meeting the winery's owner, Hugh Davies, and learning to open a bottle of bubbly with a saber, a technique Napoleon's army is said to have used when celebrating battlefield victories. The 30 participants each designed their own sparkling-wine blend from among 250 base wines, and attended three seminars on pairing sparkling wines with caviar, raw oysters, calamari and beef. Several meals are catered by the Meadowood resort, which has a restaurant with a three-star rating from Michelin.

MUSIC

Carol Oseroff, 52, loves to sing. But she doesn't have much time for her hobby—until July rolls around.

ENLARGE

MUSIC Campers spent a total of 22 hours of rehearsal time singing, or 4.5 hours a day.
Interlochen

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That is when the Tallahassee, Fla., resident attends a camp for adult musicians at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, which is known for catering to students in grades 3 to 12 and counts conductor Lorin Maazel and singer-songwriter Norah Jones among alumni. Since 2005, Interlochen has added programs for adults in areas including choral music, concert band and chamber music.

"I had the time of my life," says Ms. Oseroff, a child psychologist, who attended Interlochen last summer (she first participated in 1976) and plans to return this year. "It's a magical, creative place. People are fulfilling dreams and working hard to elevate themselves in their crafts."

During the day, Ms. Oseroff's choral camp practiced several classical pieces under the direction of Jerry Blackstone, chairman of the University of Michigan's conducting department. In the evenings, she attended performances. While Ms. Oseroff and her family rented a house on a nearby lake, many students stay in local bed-and-breakfasts or on campus, where accommodations include dorms and lakeside cabins.

OUTDOORS

Maria Mason doesn't consider herself a "particularly good bird-watcher." But summer isn't complete for the Bainbridge Island, Wash., resident without a trip to a bird-watching and conservation camp on Hog Island, Maine, a wildlife sanctuary. "It's a gorgeous setting," says Ms. Mason, 61.

ENLARGE

BIRD-WATCHING Of the 248 bird species known to inhabit Hog Island, Maine, and vicinity in the summer, campers observed 162 species in 2012.
Hog Island Audubon Camp

Sponsored by the National Audubon Society, the camp is staffed by "rock stars of the birding world," says Stephen Kress, director of Audubon's seabird restoration program. The faculty includes Scott Weidensaul, author of a Pulitzer Prize-nominated book on bird migration.

Activities include hiking, bird-watching and exploring islands in Muscongus Bay, including migratory hot-spot Monhegan Island and Eastern Egg Rock, site of a restored Atlantic puffin colony. In some sessions, campers take a bird census or clear invasive weeds from nesting sites. In others, they draw and photograph birds. In the evenings, they eat dishes including lobster and "cream puffins" and listen to lectures in a 19th-century farmhouse overlooking the ocean. Campers stay in turn-of-the-century lodges and cottages with views of the water.

Now, the Belmont, Mass., resident spends five days a year at the Dorothy Hamill Skating Fantasy Camp. "It's a lot of work," says Ms. Jacobs, 55, who started skating at age 40. "But it's my favorite vacation ever."

Ms. Hamill says she started the camp five years ago to encourage adults to take up the sport. "I've had so many people tell me, 'I wish I had had a chance to skate.' "

Campers, who book their own hotels, spend up to four hours a day on the ice. Each is assigned to a group according to skill level and receives a private lesson from Ms. Hamill and each of her six co-coaches, including Olympians Randy Gardner, JoJo Starbuck and Peter Carruthers. Beginners are welcome.

Off the ice, participants attend presentations—past speakers have included skating legend Dick Button—and three dinners at restaurants Ms. Hamill selects. "We try to make it intimate, like a dinner party," she says.

Scheduled for Scottsdale, Ariz., this year, the camp ends with a short performance.

WRITING

For novelist Meg Wolitzer, the Southampton Arts Summer Workshops are "a part of my summer the way camp was when I was a kid."

ENLARGE

WRITING Alan Alda took Frank McCourt's workshop while writing his own memoir and took Billy Collin's poetry workshop last summer.
Southampton Writers Conference

Ms. Wolitzer, whose coming novel, "The Interestings," is set partly at a summer camp in the 1970s, has signed on to teach novel-writing at the program, which is held annually at Stony Brook University's campus in Southampton, N.Y. "It's an intensive and somewhat luxurious way for students to be lyrical for 10 days and get a great education and a tan," she says.

Most participants "have gotten to a place where they want to increase their skills and gain exposure to other writers," says Ana Daniel, 75, who attended last summer. "When you are writing, you are baring your soul, so you get to know each other pretty well."

Participants—who stay in dorms or local inns—attend workshops in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and children's lit. After lunch they take electives and catch shuttle buses to the beach. In the evenings, they attend receptions and lectures, panel discussions, and readings from a faculty that includes poet Billy Collins and novelists Melissa Bank and Patricia McCormick.

Classes include "Fundamentals of Boatbuilding," "Making Wood Tools," carving and marine photography. Students can build their own kayaks, canoes and rowboats, or collaborate. In most cases, no experience is necessary.

To Mark Turpin, 53, a retired engineer from Troy, N.Y., the boats are "works of art." With his wife, Barb, 57, he has attended classes for more than 15 years and has built kayaks, canoes and rowboats in his garage, some of which the couple sells. "It's addicting," Mr. Turpin says.

Students can stay in a double room, rent a house or, for $100 a week, rent a mooring or waterfront campsite on school grounds.

Evenings, participants eat in a communal dining room and explore Penobscot Bay in the school's boats, or visit a library stocked with books about—what else?—wooden boats.

The Makerie. Courses in letterpress, block printing, crafts and sewing. From $315. April 11-14; April 18-21; June 2; July 7; and Aug. 4. Themakerie.com; 303-885-3807.

Interlochen College of Creative Arts. Drawing and painting workshops. From $275. Various dates in June, July and August. College.interlochen.org; 231-276-7387.

ADVENTURE/FANTASY

Last November, Jim Flaum celebrated his 60th birthday with his family and some friends from Arizona Cowboy College. "I was born 100 years too late," says Mr. Flaum, the retired chief operating officer of Cold Stone Creamery, who first attended the camp in 2001. "I always wanted to be a cowboy."

ENLARGE

COWBOYS Campers took about 100 roping lessons and herded up to 500 head of cattle.
Arizona Cowboy College

The Scottsdale camp's six-day sessions start at Lorill Equestrian Center, where aspiring cowboys (and girls) are taught to ride and rope plastic dummies that resemble cows in preparation for four days at Schmidt Ranch, home to 350 cattle. "We're a working cattle ranch, not a dude ranch," says rancher Lori Bridwell, whose husband founded the camp in 1986.

Campers typically sleep under the stars or share a rustic bunkhouse and spend their days fixing fences and herding cattle. For dinner, Ms. Bridwell cooks "cowboy stew" over an open fire.

About 25% of campers are novices, Ms. Bridwell says. The only prerequisite, she adds, is to be in good shape.

World Poker Tour Boot Camps. One to seven days with pros. From $895. Various dates. WPTBootcamp.com; 866-978-2668.

DANCE AND THEATER

Many dance camps host competitions to attract top talent. But there are no contests at Swing Out New Hampshire, one of a number of camps dedicated to Lindy Hop, a form of swing that evolved in the 1920s.

ENLARGE

DANCE Focuses on Lindy Hop but also teaches jive, Shim Sham, tap, Charleston, Jitterbug Stroll and many more kinds of dance.
Swing Out New Hampshire

"It's a very collegial atmosphere," says Grayson Barber, 56, an attorney who attended last summer with husband Peter Meyers, 59, a Princeton University physics professor.

Held at a girls' camp in Hebron, N.H., the five-day program features six levels of classes in Lindy Hop, plus electives in Charleston, tap, Shim Sham, Balboa and blues dancing. The camp has a lake, pool and tennis courts and offers yoga and massage.

"It's definitely a summer camp," Mr. Meyers says. "The cabins have bunk beds and shared showers, and the activities are camplike, albeit with some irony intended. It's spartan, but a lot of fun." He and his wife had a private room in the camp's main lodge.

One evening, there is a campfire sing-along, and on the last night, dancing till dawn is encouraged. "We've had as many as 80 people still dancing at 7 a.m.," says Mark Kapner, a co-organizer.

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